Tree Service in Birmingham, AL

Old neighborhoods, old trees

Much of Birmingham was built out by the 1960s — the Census Bureau puts the median home at 1965, with nearly three in four built before 1980. The oaks, hickories and pines planted or left standing when those streets were laid out are now at full size, and some are at the end of their lives.

Age changes the kind of tree work a property needs. Mature trees drop larger deadwood, their roots have had decades to reach foundations, sidewalks and sewer lines, and species that grow fast and die young begin to fail. Water oak is the common example across the Southeast: it reaches a large size quickly, is prone to internal decay, and a tree that looks sound can be hollow. On a street of sixty-year-old homes, a periodic inspection of the big trees near the house is ordinary maintenance.

Why hillside lots cost more to work

Birmingham is built across ridges and valleys, and a great many yards slope. Terrain is one of the biggest reasons two quotes for similar trees differ. A bucket truck needs firm, fairly level ground to set up. A chipper has to reach the brush or the brush has to be dragged to it. On a steep back lot behind a house, with no way in but a side gate, every limb is cut, lowered and carried out by hand.

When you ask for quotes, describe the slope and the access as carefully as the tree. Better still, have the estimator walk it. A price given from the street for a tree on a back hillside is a guess.

• Can a truck get within reach of the tree, or is it a climbing job?
• Is there a gate, and how wide is it?
• What is downhill of the tree — a house, a retaining wall, a neighbor's yard?
• Will equipment have to cross a lawn, a septic field or a drive that cannot take the weight?

What tree work costs

Angi's national data puts the average tree removal at about $750, with most jobs between $200 and $2,000. Height sets the starting point — roughly $150 to $450 up to 30 feet, $450 to $1,200 for 30 to 60 feet, $800 to $1,500 for 60 to 80 feet and $1,000 to $2,000 beyond that. A removal that needs a crane can run to several thousand dollars. Trimming averages about $460 according to HomeAdvisor, ranging from $270 to $1,800.

These are national figures and should be read as a range to expect, not a price. In Birmingham, slope and access often matter more than the tree itself.

Who is responsible for which tree

Trees on your own lot are yours to maintain and, in most of the city, yours to remove — the City of Birmingham's forestry office describes planting, maintenance and removal on private property as the owner's decision. Trees on public property, including the strip between the sidewalk and the street, are the city's. Pruning or planting one requires a city permit and a tree service registered with the City Clerk. If your home is in one of the city's historic districts, check with the city before taking down a prominent tree.

Limbs in or over the utility's lines are Alabama Power's concern; report them and let its contractors clear them. A dead tree that stands on a neighbor's lot is the neighbor's to deal with. If it threatens your house, tell them in writing — under the general rule followed in Alabama, an owner is typically liable for a fallen tree only when they knew, or should have known, that it was a hazard.

After a storm: sequence matters

Central Alabama sees severe thunderstorms every spring and has been hit by damaging tornadoes, including the April 2011 outbreak that tore through the western side of the metro area. When a tree comes down on a house, the order you do things in affects both safety and the insurance claim.

Stay clear of any wires and report them. Get people out of rooms under the damage. Photograph everything before it is moved. Call your insurer, which will usually authorize emergency removal and tarping to prevent further damage. Homeowners policies generally pay to remove a tree that has fallen on a covered structure, up to a per-tree limit, and generally do not pay to clear a tree that fell harmlessly in the yard. Then get a written price from an insured tree company before work begins — storm-chasing crews with no local address are a known problem after every major event.

When to bring in a certified arborist

A tree service removes and prunes. A certified arborist diagnoses. If you are deciding whether a large tree can be kept, an arborist's opinion is worth paying for before you pay for a removal you may not need.

An arborist can sound a trunk for decay, read the signs of root failure, identify disease and insect damage, and recommend alternatives to removal such as weight reduction, cabling a weak fork or simply monitoring. Ask any company you call whether it has an ISA Certified Arborist on staff and whether that person will see the tree.

• Mushrooms or conks growing at the base or on the trunk
• A cavity, a long crack or bark falling away in sheets
• A lean that is new, or soil lifting on one side
• Large dead limbs in the upper crown
• Thinning leaves or early fall color on one side of the tree